BlackBerry Loses Top Spot To Apple In Canada

RIM has been removed from its top spot in its home market by its rival Apple. This marks the first time that Apple has ousted BlackBerry as the top smartphone in Canada. According to the bloomberg news Canada's love affair with BlackBerry may be over. This is actually a significant concern for the BlackBerry maker RIM as their home based in Waterloo has always provided a loyal customer base.

A data report provided by Bloomberg show and IDC shows that 2.08 million BlackBerry's were shipped last year in Canada compared to 2.85 million units for Apple's iPhone. The numbers compared to 2008 are quite staggering as RIM outsold Apple almost 5 to 1.

Declining Sales

There has been concerns about RIM's U.S market slipping, but to see it slipping in the mother land is never a good thing. Sales in both U.S. and Canada fell significantly over the past year, and have been struggling to catch up ever since. Even RIM's worldwide sales have started to slip away.

Most analyst predict that RIM will report a fourth-quarter loss when they announce their results next week. With stocks at an all time low RIM has to do something.

A Steady Bounce Back

Instead of small device spurts throughout the year RIM needs to deliver at least one device that will leave consumers wanting more. The time is ripe for RIM to make a move, as Apple released an new iPad and iPhone that really weren't that much different from previous generations. However it seems as though we wont be seeing that kind of device from RIM until the fall.

All hope still is not lost for BlackBerry as it still has a very strong presence in Latin America, the Middle East and South East Asia. There are still quite a few loyal BlackBerry users, but RIM still has to make sure to cater to their needs plus the needs of new consumers.

The time is ripe for RIM to catch up with its competitors, and BlackBerry 10 may just be that device that consumers simply can't resist.